What To Do When Your Pup Gets In The Chocolate Stash

If there’s one thing we all know about dogs it’s that chocolate is an absolute no-no.This tiny bit of information is so widely known and accepted that when the instance occurs, we automatically freak out because we think our pet is done for. While chocolate most certainly isn’t the best for your pet, it’s important that you’re able to handle the situation accordingly so that the chocolate they somehow always manage to get into, isn’t harmful.

So how much chocolate is okay?

Now, you’re right, chocolate isn’t the best, but there are certain quantities of chocolate that you can let slide when your pet’s consumed them. As long as you’re aware of how much chocolate was consumed and know what type of chocolate it was, it’s pretty easy to determine what steps you should follow with. For pets, the darker the chocolate is the more harmful it is. In fact, dark chocolate is almost 8 times more dangerous than standard milk chocolate. Milk chocolate contains even less theobromine, which is what harms your pet, and white chocolate contains barely any theobromine at all. Also, knowing if there were any other ingredients in the chocolate is extremely helpful. The amount of chocolate you can let slide will depend on the weight of your dog and the amount they consume in comparison. For an average sized dog, like a Labrador, two Hershey’s bars would poison them, while one would create vomiting and seizures for some dogs.

What do I do once I’ve figured this out?

If you’ve noticed that your pet is vomiting, panting, restless or has diarrhea after eating chocolate, they’re reacting to the chocolate poisoning their body. When this happens, we always suggest taking your pet to the vet immediately. These signs and symptoms tell you that your pet ate enough chocolate for them to be affected by the chocolate, so it’s time to leave them in the hands of a professional. Accidents happen; don’t be too hard on yourself or get too worked up. Come visit Dr. Speights at Countryside Animal Hospital, right here in Fort Collins, and allow for us to provide your pet with the care that they need.